


I've Just Seen a Face

by SomeGoodSheith



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, First Meetings, Karaoke, Keith works in karaoke, M/M, Misunderstandings, also matt and allura are shiro's beer buddies!, shiro is an important business man
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-12
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2019-10-27 03:43:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17759135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomeGoodSheith/pseuds/SomeGoodSheith
Summary: Takashi Shirogane is a serious business man.However, after he agrees to go with his colleagues to a karaoke night out and gets drunk,he meets a mysterious man that immediately turns him into a blabbing mess.They click right away, and it might just be Shiro's chance to invest in the romantic aspect of his life. He might have succeeded, too.Too bad he didn't get the man's name.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fun collab fic was written with the lovely [Navi](https://twitter.com/Koukaishidesu) 💕

There was music blasting from every room. Teenagers and adults alike were enjoying themselves in the private karaoke boxes. It was getting later and later and Takashi Shirogane, or Shiro as he preferred to be called, was finding himself getting drunker and drunker. He was here to celebrate a job well done, a merger gone right and millions more dollars attached to his company. His associates had decided that he was too uptight and needed to be able to let loose once in a while. So, instead of a nice restaurant where most people would go to celebrate something- they decided to do karaoke.

A younger Shiro had frequented a few karaoke places. It was a fun thing he did as a teenager with his friends, something silly to pass the time and avoid homework. As an adult, this was not something he ever thought he’d do again. He couldn’t say he was having a bad time, he just wasn’t sure the protocol when your new business associates took you drinking and singing to bad renditions of old songs.

Instead of singing he had simply sat in his corner, drinking beer after beer, observing the others have what seemed like a great time. From time to time, they would turn to him and try to pull him into a song, but he’d wave them away with a quiet dismissal and they’d forget about him again until the next time.

Finishing his current drink, he took a glance at his watch, wincing at the time. Barely 10pm. So the younger people in the building would be packing up and heading home, but the rest of them would be clear to stay until well into the morning. And Shiro had this terrible feeling that his companions were not going to want to leave any time soon. Really, he should be prepared to do anything they asked, they were a huge company after all. And it wasn’t like they were trying to do this for blackmail reasons since no one seemed to be holding themselves back in the slightest.

People from both companies were leaning against each other, swaying slightly in their inebriated state, sharing microphones and singing loudly and off-key. Everyone was letting go and having fun, and Shiro couldn’t help smiling as he watched them. He may not be joining in all the festivities but he certainly wasn’t miserable.

With a deep sigh he rose from his seat muttering that he was going to make a quick trip to the bathroom but it was drowned out in the noise. They wouldn’t miss him and he’d be back before they knew it.

Outside the room was considerably quieter, though muffled noises still leaked into the hallway. The air was cooler as well since people weren’t jammed really close together in a small box. Honestly, Shiro wasn’t sure he wanted to go back in there, but at the very least he should find himself some water. His head was feeling heavy from all the alcohol and he was definitely further than tipsy.

A noise down the hall caught his attention as a younger man exited one of the other rooms. He was stumbling a bit, stopping to lean against the wall for support.

“Are you alright?”

The other man’s head shot up as he squinted in Shiro’s direction. He looked angry but most likely was too drunk to figure out who had spoken. Shiro’s eyes roamed his face, taking in the pink flush of his cheeks and the slightly glazed look in his uniquely colored eyes. They almost looked purple in the light. Ignoring the obvious intoxication Shiro found himself admiring him. This man was incredibly attractive.

Okay, maybe Shiro was drunker than he thought.

The younger-looking man blinked, as if trying to wrap his head around the question again. It seemed that only then he realized - the question was quite simple, and was definitely meant for him. “Ah. Y-yeah. Yes. I’m fine.”

Shiro tilted his head as much as he could in this kind of state. “Are you sure? You seem… um - pissed.” When the other man looked at him with a deeper frown, he raised his arms up as if to apologize. “I’m sorry, I didn’t - mean to pry. It’s none of my business.” 

“I’m - ”  the other man started, and Shiro stopped himself from going any further to the elevator he planned on going to. “I’m sorry. It’s - it’s not you. Obviously. It’s just that my friends, they’re… being idiots.”

The Japanese man found himself chuckling at that. “Sounds like my co-workers right there.”

The other man laughed. “Sorry. I just - need some air.”

“I get that...” Shiro told him, “My co-workers… they don’t really care I’m not around, anyways. I just… needed a place to calm down. I’m heading to the lobby… care to join me?”

“... Sure.” 

The two made their sloppy way to the elevator, and inside, Shiro pressed the button for the first floor. As they went down, he observed the other man; the way his thick long hair fell against his neck and curled up on it; the way his fair skin was flushed with drunk pink; the way his tight clothes fit his lean body perfectly. 

For someone with such a blurry drunk vision, Shiro saw perfectly fine.

The two got out of the small lift and stumbled against each other. They both laughed. 

“After you,” Shiro said in a jokingly polite tone, waving his hand in a gentlemanly gesture. 

“No, no, please. By all means. You first.”

“How about we go together?” Shiro suggested.

“If you insist.” The other man hummed. 

The two drunkenly made their way to the lobby together, chuckling at nothing but their own silly state, and found themselves falling on the first couch they could find. 

The stranger leaned against Shiro’s side, and the latter couldn’t have been more pleased. “Comfortable?”

“... Sorry...  It’s just - I can’t really… move.”

“No, no, it’s okay, I don’t mind.” Shiro assured.

“Do you let any stranger lean on you like that?” the other asked. Shiro laughed first, but the beautiful man was actually serious.

“Well. Only when I like them.” 

“And why do you like me?” the stranger asked, intrigued. 

“Because…” Shiro mumbled. His drunken state might have made him more courageous, but it was still hard to find the words. “You’re very attractive… and also… very grumpy.”

“You like… that I’m grumpy?”

“... Yeah,” Shiro smiled.

From that alone, the stranger laughed, laughter that was full and warm and deep from the heart. It sounded so genuine, so pure - like music. 

It was the most beautiful thing Shiro had ever heard.

When the other man calmed down a bit, he looked at the other with a lingering smile and deeply flushed cheeks. “You’re funny. And thank you. You’re very attractive, too.”

Humming as he didn't know how to respond, Shiro straightened up to look at the other closer, to get a better vision of him. That bright color in the other’s eyes struck his sight like lightning; even in the dark, that almost-purple color managed to pierce through the shadows and leave Shiro stunned. Those slightly parted lips looked so soft, that even the scent of alcohol didn’t do them any harm. 

Suddenly, a thumb made its way across Shiro’s cheek, making him jump.

“Sorry!” the stranger said. “I - didn’t mean to startle you. You’re just…”

Shiro gulped, sweetly widening his eyes, that were filled with curiosity. 

“You’re just… very handsome, yourself.”

Shiro could feel his cheeks flush at the comments. He wondered if he could blame it on the alcohol but at this point it didn’t really matter. His companion was clearly more drunk than he was, but it wasn’t like Shiro’s head was completely clear either. The hand that had been caressing his cheek was now brushing the end of the scar that went across his face, the pressure was feather light as if anything more would cause pain.

A frown crossed the other man’s features but it seemed more like concern than disgust so Shiro wasn’t bothered by it. The large scar across his face and the prosthetic arm got him a lot of looks, more negative than anything else. He tried not to think about it too much. This man across from him didn’t seem bothered by his features and it was refreshing.

Suddenly though he was leaning in and those dark eyes were focused on Shiro’s mouth. Shiro didn’t even know this beautiful man’s name but here they were, drunk and very much about to make out on this musty piece of furniture. Who knew what else happened here.

“W-Wait…” Shiro paused, pressing his hand to the other’s face in an attempt to stop him. If he had been more in control he would have tried this a bit more gracefully instead he mashed a hand to the man’s mouth and pushed him back with a gentle squish. The man looked confused and slightly hurt, lips pursed against Shiro’s hand.

“Your name… please. What’s your name.”

The younger man’s eyes brightened, clearly relieved that Shiro hadn’t rejected him. His lips moved against Shiro’s hand as if he were trying to speak and Shiro retracted his hand quickly, feeling sheepish.

“Kei-”

Before he could finish the elevator opened and a group of people stumbled out all very loud and very drunk. One of them looked concerned, eyes nervously scanning the lobby before they stopped on Shiro and his companion.

“There you are! We were worried you left!”

The group stumbled towards them, ushering Shiro’s new friend into an upright position. They crowded around him, patting him on the shoulder as if wanting to make sure he was real. So far they had completely ignored Shiro, who picked at the edge of his shirt self-consciously. Maybe it was for the best that the two of them didn’t go any further.

“We gotta go. Our time ran out and Hunk is getting to the pre-puke stage. I’d rather not deal with that here.”

They began to physically pull the man away, hurrying him towards the door without even acknowledging Shiro’s presence. Did he let this go? Did he just chalk this up as a wonderful memory with a beautiful man? No- He couldn’t. They had connected. If they had a chance to meet again sober Shiro expected there would be so much more they could talk about.

“W-Wait! Here!”  Before the group could get too far away Shiro stuffed a business card into the man’s hands. “Call me!”

The man nodded, a beautiful smile crossing his features as he held the card carefully to him, keeping it safe. His friend’s gave another shove and the man was stumbling out the door and disappearing into the night.

It wasn’t until a bit later, when Shiro had returned to his coworkers and associates, that he realized he still didn’t know the other man’s name.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith wakes up with a headache, nausea and vague memory of the night before.  
> Was it only a dream, or was the handsome man real?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Co-written with the lovely [Navi](https://twitter.com/Koukaishidesu)

The next day, sunlight hit Keith's face harder than he could have hoped for. Those cursed, warm beams reached his eyes, out of all places, right from the curtain’s crack. It made him frown and turn away, but the sharp movement was a bad idea - it made his head spin before he even opened his eyes. 

Now he could remember why he hated drinking so much. 

He tried to calm himself down by lying back and catching his head in his hands. He could feel the sickness curling in his stomach, twisting his guts and threatening to make a trip all the way up to his throat. Taking some deep breaths, Keith clenched his teeth and tried to tell himself,  _ for the love of God, don't fucking puke _ . 

Finally, the nausea calmed down and he could breathe with a bit more ease. He covered his face with his hands, letting out a long sigh into his palms. 

God. He had such a good dream last night, about a beautiful stranger he couldn't remember the name of. Of course, the dream had to end with his friends ruining everything, but he was curious - was this beautiful stranger even real? Or did his mind put together all of his wishes and desires into a human form? 

He let his hands drag down his cheeks and dropped them to his sides. Then, right underneath the tip of his fingers, he felt something - a paper card. 

Frowning, he let his fingers tighten on the thin paper, and brought it up in front of his eyes. It was silky black, and in the very middle of it, a golden V was written in absolute symmetry. Blinking, Keith turned the card to look at it’s back. That side was ivory-white, with two parallel golden lines on the right, and between them was the address. 

On the right, was written the name of the company.  _ Voltron Inc _ . 

Keith couldn’t believe it. He knew that address - it was the very building he passed every day on his way to work when he took the bus from his apartment. 

Not only that, but he heard of that company. He saw some commercials of their products and knew how famous they were.

So his dream… wasn't a dream at all? 

“Wake up nerd,” Pidge's voice echoed from outside of the closed door, after a few unforgiving loud knocks. “Your shift starts in a three hours. It's already four.”

Keith groaned. Pidge might have been his best friend, but when it came to waking him up, especially after a night like this, she could be cruel. 

“Hurry up! I'm going to finish my game so I won't wake you again!” she said, and began to step away. 

“Wait, wait! Pidge!” he called, hurrying to jump out of bed - a decision he immediately regretted as it made his head spin and ache, and before he knew it, his shoulder hit the wall beside him with a loud thud. He groaned again, but this time with pain and recurring nausea. “Pidge.”

“What?” she came back, looking up at her friend as she crossed her arms. “I wanna go back to my game, man. I can't let Lance take away my princess and win.”

“... Lance is here?”

“Dude. How hungover are you? We're sharing screens.”

“Okay, okay, whatever. Do you know this card?” he showed her the business card, licking his lips as she observed it. 

“Oh, yeah. Matt is having his internship there. Where did you get that though?”

“Last night... I met this - very big, handsome guy. And I was sure it was a dream but now I found this card so I know it isn't and I - I have to find him. If he gave that to me he must work there.”

“Wait, are you talking about that dude you sat with in the lobby?”

“Yes!”

Pidge smirked at that. “Keith, that's awesome!”

“No, it's not! I don't even know his name, I barely remember what he looks like… Only that he was really nice and had a very firm chest.”

The shorter girl put her hand underneath her chin in a thoughtful position. “To be honest I didn't pay attention to him when we came to get you… But maybe Hunk or Lance remember. Let's go ask them.”

Keith debated back and forth if this was something he really wanted Hunk and Lance in on. Lance would no doubt make fun of him and mess with him for as long as he found it amusing. He didn’t want to deal with that on the best of days, but in his current hung-over state it would be even worse. Still, those two could give him the answers he wanted.

“Fine, but I’m not doing that without aspirin. Lance already gives me a headache.”

Pidge snickered, waving him away as he left the room to find the bottle they kept in the bathroom cabinet. He popped two in his mouth and swallowed it down with the help of some sink water. His next step was making it to the kitchen for some actual water. It took him twice as long to make it there considering he had to pause and lean against something whenever a wave of nausea hit.

He should probably get himself ready for work, if they stopped by Lance and Hunk’s house chances are he wouldn’t get a chance to come home. He should also probably find something to eat, even if the thought right now caused his stomach to flutter. He grabbed a quick snack, munching it slowly as he watched Pidge play games from the kitchen. He had a long shift that would last well into the morning, he needed to recover as much as he could.

When the medicine was finally kicking in Keith felt he was safe enough to interrupt Pidge’s game, poking at her with his foot as she grumbled at him.

“Wait this guy isn’t dead yet!”

“Pidge.”

“Five minutes, Keith!”

He plopped himself down on the couch next to her to wait her out. If he left her be she’d continue playing right on through. In the meantime he pulled out his phone with the intention of looking up the company from the business card. It didn’t have any details other than the company itself and its phone number, so he still didn’t know who the man was and how he could find him. Did he even want to?

Chances are he had made a fool out of himself. Drunk Keith was not the best company. But the man left him a card- that meant something right? Although the card didn’t have any personal information on it so what if it was just a kind way of brushing off the handsy drunk man who had probably made him uncomfortable.  

Keith sighed and put his phone back down at his side. That was it wasn’t it. It was a way of rejecting him without causing a scene, since drunk Keith would have only registered getting a card and thinking it was the man’s number. It could have been worse. It really was one of the nicest ways he could have been rejected.

“You know what Pidge, don’t worry about it. I think I’m going to go back and lay down. Still not feeling too hot.”  

That caused Pidge to pause, finally glancing up at him from the game. She frowned at him, watching him turn back and walk towards his room. She didn’t know what he had been thinking about, she wasn’t that good, but she knew he had talked himself out of something. It was time to pull out the big guns.

“Get your ass back here.”

Pidge’s tone made Keith halt. A chill went down his spine; there were only specific situations in which she used that much serious of a tone - when it was about technology, and when it was about video-games. But never in their long years of friendship, did she ever use her authoritative demand on a matter such a this.

“Pidge…”

“I’m not kidding you, Keith. Get your ass back here right now. If I need to give up my game for you, then you can’t quit. You didn’t even start looking. He left his business card for you, so it means he wants to see you. The only one that can actually remember just accurately enough is Hunk, and he’s at Lance’s place, so that’s where we’re going. It’s not even gonna take that long.”

“Oh, come on. What do you care?” Keith crossed his arms, feeling grumpier by the minute. His headache was intensifying, and shoulder was bruised and he just wanted to sleep for the next three hundred years. 

“What? I care because you’re my best friend, that’s why,” Pidge told him, saving the stage of the game she was in before turning off the screen.

“Yeah, no. Pidge Holt doesn’t do romance, unless it’s a video-game ending. You just want to see where your brother works ‘cause they have cool tech.”

“That’s not… entirely true!” she got up and punched his arm. “And even if I do, I still wanna help you, and that’s what I’m gonna do. Now get dressed!”

Keith sighed, but he still appreciated the gesture. 

Besides… how many more opportunities such as this would he have? If there was even a slight chance that Gorgeous Mystery Boy was actually interested (which Keith still highly doubted) and easy to find… would it be that bad to finally find someone more meaningful in his life?

He hated taking those risks. Life taught him all too well that getting too close to people almost always ended up in a heartache, if it was his missing family or any childhood friend that promised to stay and was long gone. Something in him still doubted that his current friends would stick around. 

But still. Something in him… wanted this. Wanted… something more. 

If things still end up in heartbreak, at least he won’t be able to say he didn’t try. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith finally gathered the courage to find the identity of his mysterious crush.  
> What he finds, however, is the last thing he had expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Co-written with [navi](https://twitter.com/Koukaishidesu) the sweet!

Lance’s place was one of the smallest apartments Keith has ever had the displeasure to share with before he found his own. Now that Hunk was there instead, it was at least tidier, and much cleaner than he remembered. 

Still, three guys and a girl in a three-on-three meters flat was as uncomfortable as sticking your foot in the wrong sized shoe.

“So you’re looking for a dude we all saw last night but no one remembers?” Lance asked, putting his leg on Hunk for more comfort, and looked at the fancy black business card.

“Yes,” Keith said, impatient.

“Sounds too lame to be true,” the Cuban boy yawned. “And too convenient. Why would he leave his business card and not his personal card?”

“I don’t know, Lance. Maybe he mixed them up.”

“I remember a guy,” Hunk said, thus making Lance stop before he could say anything else.

“Told you,” Pidge said with a proud smile.

“Do you remember what he looked like?” Keith asked him. His eyes finally shone in a different, more hopeful light.

“More or less. It was pretty dark in there, but I do remember he had white bangs over his forehead, he had a scar over his face, looked Asian… and he was  _ really _ muscular. You were practically all over him until Lance cock-blocked you.” The last sentence ended with a chuckle.

“Oops,” Lance laughed. “Sorry about that buddy. But it wasn’t just me!”

“Never mind that,” Keith said, a bit more enthusiastically. Finally, a true confirmation - it wasn’t a dream. The man he talked to was  _ real _ . And out of all people, he talked to  _ him _ . “What else happened? Did he say anything? Did he say his name?”

“No, sorry,” Hunk smiled apologetically. “But he did ask you to call him. So that only confirms he gave you this business card by mistake; he probably meant to give his personal card. So you know you  _ have _ to go find him, right? He might be looking for you too, as we speak.”

“Y-Yeah. Maybe.” Keith had to admit that the conversation was making him feel better about the whole thing. The man had asked that he call. It was something. But he didn’t know his name - how was he going to find him? This company was huge. There were probably hundreds of people working in it. There was no way he’d be able to find one person in the whole place.

“Stop looking like that. Did you ever think maybe he’s looking for you too?” Pidge said, hands on her hips in annoyance. She really wished her best friend would have a little more confidence.

Keith shrugged, not sure what to believe.

“Whatever, I have to get to work. Later.”

“Don’t do anything stupid!”

He gave the trio one last wave as he walked out the door. He had some time before work, and it was actually pretty close to Lance’s place, so he figured he’d walk there to try to clear his head. He pulled the business card from his back pocket as if it would suddenly give him all the answers he wanted. But the card still said the same thing, and no matter how many dirty looks Keith gave it the information stayed the same.

Clenching his fist, he felt the paper crinkle in his palm. He could toss it now and forget everything. Let Lance, Pidge, and Hunk get on his case for a week before they got bored and moved on. Or he could suck it up and try to find this guy. If he didn’t want anything to do with Keith at that point, that was that, but at least Keith could say he tried.

Determined, he stuffed the card back into his pocket and made his way to work. His job at the karaoke was enjoyable for the most part, and he got a great discount, which was why he had been there last night with his friends for Lance’s birthday. In retrospect, it was probably a bad idea to get hammered and almost make out with a stranger at your workplace, but weirder things had happened. And his bosses were fairly lenient. He was a good worker, and dealt well with the drunk customers, so they’d turn a blind eye once in a while. It wasn’t like he was always throwing wild parties or anything.

He clocked in to work and began to check out the reservations and current orders, both giddy and nervous at the thought of maybe finding the mystery man tomorrow.

 

\--

 

The building of  _ Voltron, Inc _ was intimidating to say the least. It was one of the tallest in the city, sleek with a lot of mirrors. He saw it pretty much every day but never realized what it was for. To think someone in this building had found him worth talking to.

With a deep breath, he opened the front door into the spacious lobby. It was very simple in design, almost hospital-like with bright lights and modern looking furniture. In the center was a metal desk where a woman sat clicking away on her computer. There were sitting areas in a number of places, most likely for casual meetings, and a single potted plant in the corner. People shuffled back and forth going from rooms to elevators and back again. Everyone looked to be in a hurry and no one paid him any mind. It was both a gift and a blessing.

Now that he was here, he really didn’t know what to do. How did you go about asking where to find someone you didn’t know the name of? Would that set off alarm bells? It sounded so shady.

When he approached the secretary, she gave him a confused look. It was pretty clear he didn’t belong there. She must have thought he was lost or something of the like.

“Hi... um… I got this card?” He showed her the now wrinkled business card hoping she’d be able to provide him with some answers.

“Okay, and?” She raised one eyebrow as she stared at him. “I have lots of them…” She indicated to the small standee on her right which did, in fact, contain many identical cards.

Damn it.

He dropped, quickly stuffing the card away. Could he make himself look like more of a fool?

“Right, sorry to bother you.”

He decided to make a hasty retreat, hope he’d just become a weird story about the secretary’s day, and work on a plan B at home with Pidge after she finished laughing at him.

However, there was something that caught his attention as he made his way to the door. It was  _ him _ , or more accurately, a large portrait of him, framed in gold. He still looked just as handsome as Keith remembered, of what he could remember anyway. Really he should feel ecstatic, he found the man that he was looking for.

What made him pause though, was the writing underneath said portrait.

_ Takashi Shirogane, CEO _

Well shit.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro is coming to work, to hear some unsettling news.  
> Good thing he has his friends to count on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Created with [Navi](https://twitter.com/Koukaishidesu) the summer child

When Shiro stepped into the building of his company, he wore his best suit, combed his hair back and carried a big paper cup filled with fresh coffee. His eyes were hidden behind big sunglasses, known to his friends as “the sunglasses of shame”. 

It was the second day he wore them, and this time, it wasn't because of a throbbing headache or constant nausea. 

He was just in a bad mood. 

He looked at the secretary in the middle of the lobby, wishing she'd have any good news. “Good afternoon, Dina,” he told her, faking a nice smile.

“Good afternoon, sir,” she smiled back. It occurred to him she didn't notice it was a fake smile at all - and he was secretly grateful for it. 

Her silence kicked his hopes right in the gut. If there was anything to tell him, she would have done it by now. That's how she was - the first one to know, the first one to tell. 

“... No news today, then?” he asked, trying to mask his disappointment.  _ So he didn't come to look for me?  _

“Not much, sir. Just a regular morning. Oh, there was a guy here today.”

“A guy? What guy?” Shiro asked, doing his best not to let any excitement escape his tone. He cleared his throat. “Did he look for somebody?”

“No,” she shrugged. “He was just awkward. I think he was a student or something. He just showed me our business card and said he got it from someone.” 

“When was he here?”

Dina looked at him with a raised eyebrow, but didn't dare to express her impression of him at that moment. He was the CEO, after all. “About an hour ago, sir.”

Shiro gulped as realization struck him. It was him. It  _ was _ him. 

But he made a mistake. And now he was too late, too. 

“Thank you… Dina. Good work.” He told her, flashing another smile before hurrying up to the elevator. His suitcase’s wheels made a swift noise behind him, yet in his mind, it sounded almost like a screech. 

God, he was an idiot. 

 

\--

 

Shiro sat on his comfortable black chair, at the end of his office on the 14th floor. He hadn't touched a thing in his desk, nor in his laptop - he just couldn't. 

As he stared out of the big window that was placed behind him, his thoughts washed over and drowned him within his own head. 

He gave him the wrong card. He was drunk and excited and hasty, and instead of giving that gorgeous stranger his personal card, with his cell phone number and email, he gave him the  _ regular _ business card. It was practically useless to find him like that. 

Dammit. He deserved yesterday's hangover. Hell, he deserved to have it every single day for the rest of his life. How could he make such a stupid mistake? 

For the first time in his life, even when drunk, he actually felt a click. That was what he was looking for. That rare, immediate attachment; the moment that could tell him there was actually a real chance for something new, something that could be more than just a fling or a one time interaction. 

Fact was,  _ he _ came here to look for him. Or at least, he tried. 

And here he was, stupid Takashi Shirogane, letting that opportunity slip right through his fingers. 

For the next few hours, Shiro couldn't even get his job done. He couldn't touch any of his work, couldn't even attempt to distract himself from the fool that he was. He sat there and stared at the outside world through a big, square glass, watching the sun going down into the west, just to the right side of his view. 

That sunset was magnificent. It bathed the sky in deep orange and red, while right above it, the darkness seemed to be almost purple. 

Just like that man's eyes. 

He groaned and turned away from the scenery. Burying his face in his hands, Shiro knew he wouldn't be able to keep this up forever. He will have to go back to work eventually, but knowing himself, he could do it all in half an hour and be done with it. 

Then what's the point? 

A single ring came from the offices phone. He didn't want to answer it, but he knew he had to. He pushed the button for the speaker and stopped himself from sighing. “Yes?”

“Sir, Allura would like to see you.” the voice of his secretary said. 

“... Let her in.”

Allura stepped in with graceful steps. Her pink suit matched her blue eyes perfectly;  the whiteness of her long, thick curls did nothing but add to her beauty. She was the head of the engineering department, and one of the brightest people he had ever had the pleasure to work with. 

She was also one of the only people in this company who was actually his friend. 

He didn't turn to witness her entering - he could see her reflection from the glass, and he knew exactly why she came in to talk. 

“Shiro.” Her voice was sweet and pleasant-sounding as she approached Shiro’s desk, a bright smile on her face. “Shiro, I need you… to get your head out of your ass.”

Shiro winced. Though he had been talking a lot about this mysterious other man, it was more likely his moping and sighing that she was bothered by the most. His work ethic had definitely plummeted, and he was doing more staring than working. It wasn’t like he had anything urgent to get out, he could afford to sit around love sick for a while. But he supposed it didn’t really get less annoying for the people around him.

“Allura… He was  _ here _ .”

That made her pause, “are you sure?”

“ _ Yes. _ And I’m the idiot who handed him the company business card instead of  _ my _ card. We’ll never be able to find each other.”

Allura tapped a manicured fingernail across her pursed lips as she gave some thought to this situation. Shiro was her boss, but was also her friend and she had no problems slapping some sense into him if he needed it. But this was clearly important to him, so while he was being a pain, she really did want nothing more than for him to be happy.

“Have you tried going back to the karaoke place and seeing if anyone knows him there?”

“What am I going to do? Go and ask for the beautiful man with purple eyes? I’ll look like a crazy person.”

She shot him a look and he sighed.

“I’ll check tomorrow.”

It was amazing the things Allura could do without actually saying anything.

 

\--

 

“He has been going to that karaoke place for the past three days. Three days, Matt. And he has had no luck.”

“Uh huh…” Matt was an intern under Allura at  _ Voltron, Inc. _ just trying to learn the ropes. One day about a week ago his boss had breezed in on her high heels and grabbed him. Talking rapidly about needing someone to talk to and that she’d buy him a coffee. He supposed he was the only one close to her in age of everyone in their department. But it was a whirlwind of a situation.

Now they made this a near daily thing where Allura would drag him out and complain about the head of the company. Matt hadn’t actually met the man himself, but after all this talk he kind of felt like he knew him. And he was apparently pining for some cute guy that he knew nothing about. Matt could feel his pain.

“I feel terrible about this. I do hate seeing him like that.” Allura sighed, fingers twitching up and down her coffee mug in thought. “I just don’t know what else can be done. He doesn’t have a name, he barely has a description of him. And that too could be exaggerated, he was drunk after all. Purple eyes, honestly!”

“He’s really hung up on this guy, but he didn’t even get his name?” Not like Matt really had room to talk, but still.

“He’s desperate for any information. But I don’t know how we could possibly figure out anything else. There’s too many unknowns.”

“And I suppose the karaoke place won’t say anything.”

“Not for something like a crush, no.”

“Bummer.”

They both sighed, staring into empty space as they sipped the last bit of their drinks. They needed to get back to work but the issue still weighed heavily on their minds.

“Why don’t you take him drinking. Get his mind off of it for a little while.”

“Oh Matt that’s a wonderful idea! It won’t solve anything but it’s better than him staring sadly out the window like a lost puppy.”

“He’s doing wha-”

“We’ll meet in the lobby at seven, yes?”

“Wait- me too?”

“I’ll do everything I can to get him to that bar!”

“That’s good since I don’t know him…”

“It’ll be great, see you then!”

Allura had grabbed her things and zoomed off, clearly not having heard anything Matt was saying. At least she meant well.

After she had left Matt behind Allura made her way immediately to Shiro’s office, refusing to stop for anything. Not even the people calling her name wanting her attention. She was a woman on a mission. She passed Shiro’s secretary with only a nod before throwing open the door to his office. It wasn’t like he was doing anything important anyway.

Shiro jumped, staring back at her with wide eyes before he looked around nervously, unsure what brought her back to him. Was she going to yell some more?

“I have the perfect idea! We’re going drinking. Meet me in the lobby at seven.”

“You really think the best solution to this problem is  _ more _ drinking.”

“Don’t question me, just show up!”

“A-Alright…”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allura and Matt take Shiro to a bar, to let his feelings out with the help of a few drinks.  
> Too bad that in such a state, he can't afford to listen to the interesting words of his employees.   
> Or can he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A wild [navi](https://twitter.com/Koukaishidesu) appears! She's the co-writer and she's too adorable. It's super effective!

The rest of the day went on with Shiro finally getting some work done - it actually made him feel better. It set his mind off of his mysterious crush, and instead he was busy typing away on his laptop, calling people and making sure the day wasn’t completely wasted away. 

It was 6:45 PM when he closed the phone and sighed with relief. He was pretty proud of himself - he managed to get a three-days job done in less than three hours. 

He looked again at his watch and decided to still stay on his laptop for the next few minutes. While surfing away in it, he saw a few photos that made him think about that man he have met. He looked up if it was possible for eyes to seem purple, or if it was possible to look for someone he didn't know the name of. Yet the more he searched, the less he found out, until he completely gave up and closed his laptop for the rest of the day. 

It was just best to forget about it for now, he decided. 

He put his things back in his suitcase and wrapped himself in his coat. He shot his gaze at the mirror he had on the right side of his desk, studying his own expression. Was he really that desperate? Was he really that filled with false hopes? Despite his frustration with himself, he couldn't really change the way he felt - even when he didn't know  _ why _ he felt that way. 

Taking a deep breath, Shiro turned and marched out of his office. 

The lobby was quiet and empty. Dina already went home, it seemed, as her stand in the information desk was closed. Shiro didn't give it much thought, not when he saw Allura and one of her interns standing not far away. 

“Hey,” he smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. “Good to see you, Allura. And you, um -?”

“Matt,” the slightly younger man smiled respectfully and shook Shiro's hand. It was as strong as he thought it would be. “Matt Holt. You know my dad.”

“Ah - you're Sam's son? What a nice surprise. I couldn't tell at first but now that you mention it, you do have his eyes. Good to know that my employees are doing a good job in bringing in people of quality. I hope your time here is well?”

“It is, sir. I'm learning a lot from Allura.”

“Please. Call me Shiro,” he smiled. 

“Okay, I think we had enough chat,” Allura intervened. “Let's go. I know a bar down the street that has really good beers and cocktails.” 

The two men looked at her and had no choice but to nod. They'd catch up in the bar, anyways.

 

\--

 

The three friends made it through the rather empty corridor and sat by the counter. It was still rather early but Shiro didn't mind - the less people there were, the better. Not too much noise, not too much headache. Just nice music and drinks. 

He ordered Stella, half, from the barrel, while Allura took a fruity cocktail and Matt took a simple mix of coke and rum. Three drink down and Shiro already opened up his tie, leaned back and enjoyed the warmth his beer gave his cheeks and chest. 

“Hold on, hold on,” he said, clearing his throat as he smiled at his new friend. “I do remember you. You're that intern that set the lab on fire that one time -”

“N-no! No I'm not!” Matt tried, hiding his eyes behind his hand. 

“No, no, I'm not saying that as a bad thing. We managed to fix that in a week, anyways. But you - you know why weren't you fired after that? Because you're good at what you do. And I appreciate having you, Matt. You're a smart guy.”

Still embarrassed, yet a bit more courageous, Matt was able to look at his boss with an apologetic smile. “Really?”

“Yeah!” Shiro smiled. “Do you think my mystery guy is as smart as you? I think he is. He looked really smart when I saw him. With his… deep purple eyes and daring smile. I can't believe I didn't get his name… I did ask for it though. And he almost gave it to me! But his stupid friends came to get him and I was even more stupid when I gave him the wrong card.”

Matt looked at Allura, a bit at loss with such a sudden break of boss-employee distance between him and Shiro. Allura looked back at him and mouthed, “ _get more info from him!_ ”

“Don't you think?” Shiro looked at Matt again, drunk grey eyes searching for confirmation in the honey-colored ones. 

“Oh, uh, yeah. Yeah, I'm sure he was. W-what else do you remember about him? Maybe the way he looked like?” Matt cleared his throat before sipping more from his drink. 

“He was… Fucking gorgeous…” the boss said, leaning on the wooden counter and placing his chin on his hand. “With raven hair and angelic smile… And he pressed himself to me and touched my cheek…”

Allura chuckled. “That's… too much information there, buddy…”

“... And he almost kissed me… Almost. But I told him, wait… tell me your name first. Because I want to know who I'm gonna kiss, you know?” 

“Yeah of course. Makes sense.”

It was clear at this point that Shiro wasn’t really listening to them. Oh, he heard their voices, but nothing was getting through in his drunken haze. All he knew was there were people nearby and they were listening to him. So Allura and Matt could really say anything and Shiro would just continue on with his own story. Well, at least he was getting his feelings out.

“You got anyone special, Matt?”

“Uhh… I have a sister?”

Allura snorted into her drink, trying hard not to laugh at her friends’ antics. Drunk Shiro was like a whole other person, and while it was good to see him let loose, he was still moping over lost love. She had been hoping this would let him relax and have a good time, but the wounds were too fresh.

“She lives a few blocks from here actually. She has a roommate that’s single, maybe you could meet him.”

Allura shot him a look, narrowing her eyes. Maybe it was time to cut Matt off.

“Matt... Matt.” Shiro approached the other man, staring down at him in thought. Suddenly, he clapped both hands on Matt’s cheeks squishing them together gently. “Matt… Why would I do that.”

A number of noises came from the younger man, but none of them were intelligible due to Shiro smashing his face. It wasn’t painful, but it was definitely weird.

“Shiro please let Matt go so he can breathe.”

Shiro dropped his hands immediately, looking confused as to what he had been doing. He sulked a bit before going back to his drink.

“That man was perfect, why would I want anyone else?”

“Hey, I have an idea! Why don’t we do some karaoke!”

“Really Allura…” Matt made a face. 

Shiro downed his drink, shooting up from the table. “What if he’s there!”

“Yes Shiro, that’s what I meant.”

Allura seemed to be enjoying herself with the whole situation, but she clearly wasn’t unaffected by the alcohol moving through her system. Her eyes had a slightly glazed look and her cheeks were flushed pink.

“Let’s get a cab!”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Returning to the karaoke it all began in, Shiro, Matt and Allura enjoy some time together singing song and eating junk-food.  
> A familiar face can be seen, but not by everyone.  
> Does Shiro win his chance to finally see his mysterious crush?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Say hello to [Navi](https://twitter.com/Koukaishidesu), a great co-writer and a friend 💕

Seeing as it was a weeknight, the karaoke place wasn’t that crowded. There were a few boxes full of teenagers singing loudly and the odd family here or there, enjoying an evening out before dinner. It was still fairly early, so no one was being pushed out for curfew yet.

Shiro excused himself briefly for the restroom while Allura and Matt rented them a box. The younger man at the counter had shoulder length black hair and deep blue eyes. He seemed fairly disinterested in the events going on around them, but his expression lit up when the two of them arrived. It must have been a really slow night.

“Welcome. My name’s Keith. What can I help you with?”

“We’d like to rent a room for the next two hours. There’s three of us,” Allura smiled. 

“Sure, it’ll be $10 per person since you caught us at the last ten minutes of the evening special.”

“Actually, can we do a VIP room? Put it on this card.” She handed the man Shiro’s credit card since he had instructed them to put everything for the evening on it. Since Allura was the least inebriated, she was in charge of purchasing things.

“Sure, but that’s $30 a person?”

“It’s no problem.”

The worker nodded, taking the card and swiping it through. “The VIP rooms are on the third floor; there will be an attendant there to direct you and take your orders. Can I help you with anything else?”

“I think that’s it, thank you!”

“Keith! We need you!” Another worker called out from the backroom and he excused himself before ducking out of sight.

“Did you pay already?” Shiro popped up behind them, looking a little more in control of himself. More than anything, he looked really tired.

“Yeah, you want your card back?”

“No, hold on to it. Who knows what else you’re going to make me do tonight.”

They made their way to the third floor, where the attendant showed them to their room. None of them ordered more alcohol, preferring sodas and iced tea since they still had to wake up in the morning for work.

The VIP room was wide and colorful. Each one of them took a soft drink and sat on their own couch - or rather, Matt laid on his side comfortably, just because he could. 

Allura sent him an odd gaze.

“What? I've never been in a VIP room before. Let me have at least that.”

Shiro looked at them both after taking a swing of his soda. “You guys can go ahead and choose your songs. I'll order us some food.”

“Sure!” Allura smiled, already taking ahold of the karaoke machine. 

“Yes please, I'm starving,” Matt whined. 

Shooting them both thumbs up, Shiro stepped to the corner of the room where the phone was, and dialed the reception number. 

“Reception, this is Keith,” the voice answered after a short while.

“Hello. I'd like to order food for the VIP room on the third floor.”

“Sure. What room number are you?”

“Um… wait,” Shiro murmured, leaving the phone open so he could look at the number of the room on the outer side of the door. He blinked heavily when he stepped back, trying to balance himself as he reached the phone again. “Two.”

“Alright. And what food would you like to order?”

“Uh - just pizza, nachos and french fries. Make it double, please. Each.”

“Sure thing. It'll be there in a few minutes, sir.”

“Thanks, man.”

“No problem.”

The call ended with Shiro lazily putting the phone back in its place, making his way to sit on the couch. He leaned back against the comfortable seat, and took another sip of his soda. 

The food, as promised, arrived within minutes. Pizza, nachos and fries, two of each portion, were put on the table in the middle of the room, with a bottle of water and sauce as well. 

The three wasted no time in eating away the snacks. 

Shiro mainly watched from the side as Allura and Matt sang one song after the other, each singing completely out of tune. When they offered him to sing, he declined for a few rounds, but eventually he agreed to sing one song. 

He went through the song list and took his time in finding the right one. He felt like having something with a good rhythm, but that would still fit his current rather melancholic mood. 

His eyes fell on the perfect song by the end of the list, and he couldn't help but let a small smile sneak in. 

Licking his lips and clearing his throat, Shiro put the song on the screen in front of him, and pressed the mic to his lips. 

 

_ I've just seen a face _

_ I can't forget the time or place  _

_ Where we just met _

_ He's just the boy for me _

_ And I want all the world to see  _

_ We've met, mm-mm-mm mm-mm-mm _

 

Matt and Allura looked at each other, appalled by the way Shiro missed the beat completely, yet that was not why they were looked so  _ done _ .

“Why did I let you take me here…” Matt muttered. That evening was swinging between funny-weird, sad-weird, and just weird. 

“Because you’re a good friend and your boss needs your distraction,” Allura smiled at him.

 

_ Had it been another day _

_ I might have looked the other way _

_ And I'd have never been aware. _

_ But as it is I'll dream of him _

_ Tonight, di-di-di-di'n'di _

 

_ Falling, yes I am falling _

_ And he is calling me back again _

 

_ I have never known _

_ The like of this, I've been alone _

_ And I have missed things _

_ And kept out of sight _

_ But other boys were never quite _

_ Like this, di-di-di-di'n'di _

 

_ Falling, yes I am falling _

_ And he keeps calling _

_ Me back again _

 

_ I've just seen a face _

_ I can't forget the time or place _

_ Where we just met _

_ He’s just the boy for me _

_ And I want all the world to see _

_ We've met, mm-mm-mm-di-di-di _

 

_ Falling, yes I am falling _

_ And he keeps calling _

_ Me back again _

 

In the song’s last tune, Shiro licked his lips and sat down in his place. Sighing, he ate some fries silently, as his co-workers moved awkwardly in their places. 

Matt cleared his throat and excused himself to go to the bathroom. On the way, he saw the receptionist, and recognized him to be his sister’s roommate.

“Hey... Keith, right? Katie’s roommate,” he smiled at him, and the two shook hands for a brief moment. “Sorry I didn’t really recognize you when we were downstairs, I’m kinda drunk and I barely use my glasses these days.”

“It’s alright, don’t worry about it,” Keith chuckled. “I gotta get back to work, so have fun with your friends, yeah?”

“Thanks. Say hi to Katie for me!”

“I will.”

Matt returned to the room to see Allura belting out another drunken song while Shiro moped in the corner chewing on another slice of pizza. It seemed after his one song he had put himself back into a mood.

“You doing alright there, buddy?”

Shiro shrugged but eventually nodded. He needed to accept that his ridiculous crush was probably going nowhere. He couldn’t find his mysterious stranger, and he had no way of figuring out anything about him since he literally knew nothing. This would be his last night of sulking and then he’d just have to find a way to move on.

“One more song Shiro! Then we can go home!” Allura called from her side of the room, looking a bit drained. The evening was clearly catching up to all of them.

They agreed on a song for the three of them, something silly to end the evening where it didn’t really matter if they said any of the correct words, but they had fun.

After tidying up their room as best they could, they went to check out, said farewell for the evening and went their separate ways. Shiro had to admit that despite his dark thoughts for most of the evening he was glad the others had been able to drag him out. Sometimes all one needed was some time out with friends.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Pidge meet Hunk and Lance for lunch, to talk about a certain _someone_ , that Keith is certain he will never meet again.  
> Little does he know, that fate has other plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell the lovely co-creator [navi](https://twitter.com/Koukaishidesu) how cute she is, and tell her it's from me too!~

It was several weeks later that had Pidge dragging Keith out for lunch. They had both been busy with work and Keith was still sad about losing the karaoke man. Pidge was tired of it, but still wanted to support her friend in any way she could.

They passed by  _ the _ building on the way to their destination and Pidge watched Keith eye it sadly.

“You know we could go in if you want. Pretend we’re here to see Matt, try to run into your man.”

“No Pidge, I’m never going in there again. I made such a fool of myself. Besides, what would the CEO of  _ Voltron, Inc. _ want with me?”

“Yes, what would he want with a smart, capable guy who isn’t that terrible looking - what a nightmare.”

“Shut up, Pidge.”

There was still a part of him that thought, maybe the man from karaoke gave him the wrong card on purpose. Maybe he hadn’t been that drunk, saw Keith as maybe someone good enough for a one-time meeting but not for a future. Not to mention he ran a huge company, and could probably have anyone he wanted. Probably  _ did _ have anyone he wanted. Keith was a nobody who worked at a karaoke place. Sure he enjoyed his job, but what did it matter compared to someone who had their own company? He couldn’t blame the man for not wanting someone like Keith. What did he have to offer, anyway? 

“Let’s just go.”

Pidge sighed, knowing her friend had talked himself out of something again. “Lance and Hunk wanted to meet at this new burger place, said it was really good.”

“Yeah, sounds fine.”

“It’ll be okay, Keith.”

“I know. Sorry I’ve not been very fun lately.”

“Don’t worry about it. Just keep getting us discounts and cheap booze.” Pidge attempted to lighten the mood, giving her friend a gentle shove with her shoulder.

Keith chuckled, returning the shove. “Whatever you say, Pidge.”

They made quiet conversation as they continued on their way to the burger place, finding Lance and Hunk already there with a table. They said their hellos as they sat down alongside them.

“So Keith- love life still going to hell?”

“Lance!”

“What, I’m just taking an interest in my friend.”

“What you’re doing is being an ass.” Pidge growled, narrowing her eyes. Lance and Keith were friends, but sometimes the attitudes they first had with each other popped out and bad to be reeled back in.

“It’s fine, Pidge. It’s about time we start making fun of it, right?”  _ Just chalk it up to another memory.  _ “I have work later, so if we could get this out of the way now and eat, I’d be grateful.”

“No, Keith, you can't let an opportunity like that just pass,” Hunk told him, in a more serious tone. The last thing he wanted was to laugh at his friend; he wanted to help him. Keith was clearly afraid of approaching someone who seemed to be of a much higher status than him, even more so when said high-class man seemed to be interested back. “You know where he is, you know how he looks. Just find him and say who you are.”

“Yeah, not gonna happen,” Keith crossed his arms. “I already embarrassed myself once.”

“You didn't even do anything! The secretary you approached was scary, I get it, and you saw he was the CEO in some ad. I get that too. But you didn't even try to find a way to approach him, you didn't even try talking to him in person.”

“You know what, I changed my mind. I don't want to talk about it anymore.” 

“Oh, come on.”

“Hunk’s right, you know,” Lance said eventually, cutting the two off. He might have loved to tease Keith and sometimes make him miserable, but he wasn't that heartless. He knew how to be serious. “You don't even know how he'll act around you. Besides, you only went to look for him  _ once _ . You should at least try aga-”

“I'm sick and tired of people telling me what I should do!” Keith raised his voice. “He's way out of my league, I don't even know if he's interested in me, in fact I don't see any reason he should. Nothing’s gonna happen, it's over. He probably doesn't even remember me. Now can we please,  _ please _ move on?”

The three looked at Keith silently for a few moments, a bit shocked by the outburst. 

“Um… do you want to order anything?” a worker in the burger place asked the four friends, gulping nervously. He only hoped the scary guy won't shout at him, too. 

“Just four cheeseburgers please,” Lance told him, “and two large fries.”

“Got it…” he cleared his throat and walked back to the  kitchen. 

Pidge completely ignored the man to focus on her best friend. “You're clearly  _ way _ off in your interpretation of this entire situation. But if you don't want to talk about it, then we should stop.”

“Thank you,” Keith sighed. His head hurt already; any attempt to laugh about it obviously didn't work, since his friends decided to act like the annoying voice of his guilt. Leaving it all behind is the best solution he had. 

It's not like he was lying, anyways. 

“So it's Matt's birthday tomorrow. And I know it's your day off, but he really wants to go to the karaoke place. He said he'll bring a few friends from work and one of them can afford a VIP room. Can you get us all a room for tomorrow?” Pidge asked him. 

“Sure. I'll talk to my boss tonight. How many people will he bring?”

“Two.”

“Alright. But bring your own wallet this time, and yes, I'm looking at you Lance.”

“What! It was just one time!” 

“I'm just making sure it stays that way.”

Right on cue, their burgers and french fries arrived. As the four of them ate, Pidge observed Keith in silence. She knew he said exactly what he thought, and she hated it. 

She only hoped Matt's birthday party would make him feel a bit better. 

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fateful night arrives, and with it, a happy ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading this extra fun collab work I did with [navi](https://twitter.com/Koukaishidesu). It's been a joy to write it!

The evening of the next day arrived in a flash, after a day Keith mainly spent resting.

It wasn't often that he slept in so late, but that day gave him back the strength and motivation he lost in the last few weeks. In general, he wasn't a man of much sleep; spending his nights at work and his days online, studying, drawing or taking care of the apartment. When Pidge wasn't playing video games or studying in uni, she helped him around or just hung out with him. Today, she was away with her family for Matt's birthday party, and the two will come later with his coworkers to meet Keith and the others in the karaoke place. 

Getting discounts was always easy; Keith's boss adored him, and the more customers he brought, the more perks he got. At least he was useful in something, right? 

He showed up with a dark shirt, tight jeans and his favorite red jacket. Hunk and Lance were late, as usual, so he had time to get their VIP room ready and make sure they have enough food and booze, as well as the new set of speakers. 

Keith wasn’t really sure if he was looking forward to the evening. He hadn’t really been in the mood for karaoke since  _ the incident, _ plus he was here all the time already. It just didn’t have the same appeal as it used to, and he had barely had any alcohol since then, not wanting to put himself in a position like that ever again. 

He sighed, thoughts drifting back to the attractive man. The guy was beautiful, could anyone really blame him? Keith had told his friends that he had given up on talking to the man he now knew was called Takashi Shirogane, but sometimes he still thought of the what-ifs. Would they still be talking? Having silly little dates and spending time with each other? Or would it have been a one time fling that became nothing more than a wonderful memory? Sighing again, he sat himself on the cushioned seat, resting his chin in both hands. 

He had arrived at the karaoke place earlier than the others, planning to book the room with his discount and discuss things with his boss. At this point he was just kind of pushing things around in the room; it was as clean as it was going to get and it wasn’t like he was working anyway, organizing was just habit. 

Shaking his head, Keith rose to his feet again. Matt’s group would be arriving any minute, he should go down and greet them. He didn’t really know Matt that well, having only met him a few times, but he was determined to enjoy the evening. He still had Pidge, Hunk, and Lance. And Matt’s friends were probably just as interesting. He needed to meet new people.

After straightening up the song book, he decided the room was ready and made his way back to the front. When he reached the desk he noticed a large group gathering around. He could spot Pidge instantly standing a bit off to the side and looking a little grumpy. Hunk and Lance must still not be there. Matt was talking to his coworker at the front desk and checking them in. There were a few other people he didn’t recognize, including a woman with curly white hair. She was quite pretty, and she looked excited to be there. Was she a coworker or a girlfriend? Keith supposed he’d figure it out as the night went on. 

He was about to greet Pidge when a voice called from behind him, causing him to pause.

“ _ It’s you _ ...”

 

\--

 

Shiro had come later than the others, needing to finish something at work, but he had promised Matt he’d show up to his party. They had only known each other a few weeks but the two had hit it off quite well and he had found himself joining Matt and Allura for lunch often. When he mentioned wanting to go to the karaoke place for his birthday, Shiro had sighed, but agreed. He went to karaoke more in the past month than he had in the last five years. He wasn’t sure if they were still trying to help him find the mystery man or if they were just that into karaoke. He supposed it helped that Matt knew someone who could get them discounts, but it wasn’t like the place was pricey and the company paid him well. 

He hadn’t bothered to change from his suit, but had left the jacket coat behind in his car and loosened his tie. No doubt the others would be in more casual attire, but he simply hadn’t had time and didn’t bother to bring a change of clothing. He’d be fine, he didn’t plan to sing too much, if at all, and he certainly wasn’t going to do any strenuous activity.

Running a hand through his hair, he sighed again. A fun evening was what he needed after a long day at work. Pushing the door open, he spotted a gathering at the front and knew it must be Matt’s party. At least he wasn’t too far behind them. 

He was about to greet Matt when something else caught his attention. A man, shorter than Shiro, but still muscular, with dark hair. He stood out with his bright red jacket. Shiro’s eyes widened, and he felt the air leave his lungs in shock. It couldn’t be, after all this time, after all that searching, he finally found him.

“It’s you…” 

The other man swung around, his own eyes wide in disbelief.  _ Purple eyes _ . 

“No way…” He looked a little panicky, glancing towards a woman nearby. She must have been Matt’s sister, considering their resemblance. She shrugged and shook her head, silently communicating something Shiro didn’t catch. 

“What’s your name!” Shiro blurted, nerves getting to the better of him. 

The man opposite him relaxed a bit, but still had a look like he would flee at the first sign of danger. It hurt a bit, that the man would look at him like that. Maybe the reason why Shiro hadn’t found him was because he had been avoiding Shiro? That certainly ruined the moment. 

But a small smile crossed the other man’s face before he gave his answer. “Keith.” 

_ Keith _ . Such a simple yet beautiful name. Shiro repeated it in his mind over and over again, not wanting to ever miss it again. “Keith,” he said out loud, yet his voice was soft and quiet, tasting the name on his own tongue. He dared to step a bit closer, as he noticed that the other didn't step back. “I wanted to look for you so much but I didn't know how - I can't believe we found each other here, out of all places!”

The handsome shorter man blushed in such a sweet way, Shiro felt even luckier to have met him again. The dark-haired man turned to Matt's sister, and told her they'll be right back. Then, he pulled Shiro with him to the lobby again, the same one they were in all those weeks ago, and turned towards him again. “Did you really try to find me?” he murmured, as if not really believing it. 

“I did. I mean - I really wanted to, but I didn't know how. I didn't know your name, your number, where you live or work; I didn't even know where to begin. But I - God. It's so good to see you here now. I couldn't - I couldn't stop thinking about you this entire time.”

Keith blushed again; he did his best to play it cool, despite himself. Shiro found it even cuter than before. “Well, um… You found me now. And - I - I'm just not sure… I mean, why would you want to look for me? I'm just… me. Nothing more.”

“I wanted to find you exactly because of that,” Shiro smiled. “And I apologize for giving you the wrong card. You have to believe me, I meant to give you my personal card, but I realized too late that I gave you the wrong one. When my secretary told me you came to our building and tried to find me, it made regret so much that I missed you that day. We were just so unlucky, weren't we?” he laughed. 

The other man chuckled, shifting from one leg to another, but he didn't show any sign of being uncomfortable - just embarrassed. “I'm sorry, too. I - I didn't look hard enough. I was certain that you wouldn't even remember me, that I'm just… not good enough. You know? You're  _ Voltron _ ’s CEO, and I'm just a karaoke receptionist…”

“No, no, Keith… don't ever think that. My status doesn't matter, and neither does yours. That's not how chemistry works, and I feel like you and I… we had good chemistry.” Now was Shiro's turn to blush furiously. He never thought he'd have so much courage to speak that way, especially in front of  _ him _ . 

“Yeah… I felt it too,” Keith smiled. When Shiro took his hand in his, he didn't hesitate to squeeze them and laugh shyly. 

Shiro watched him and couldn't help but laugh as well. He felt so giddy, yet still somewhat skeptical, and wasn't sure if he should pinch himself just to see if all of this is just a dream. 

But then, something hit him. 

“Wait. Did you say you're a karaoke receptionist?”

“Yeah,” Keith told him. “I work here, actually. That's how I get everyone the discount.”

The taller man stood there in shock, for a few moments. “I've been here on five different occasions in the last month. How did we manage to miss each other out this entire time?”

“Shit luck, mostly.”

“Yeah but… wait. A few weeks ago I rented the VIP room with Matt and our colleague, Allura. Do you remember someone called you to order - what was it, pizza, fries and nachos?”

Keith thought about it for a moment. “Wait, yeah. Yeah, I remember that. Pidge - Matt's sister - she told me he was stuck at home for two days in a row because he ate too many nachos.”

“Yes, exactly! He took a few sick days from work that week.”

“Okay?” Keith blinked. 

“It was me! I ordered all of that! I talked to to  _ you _ on the phone!”

“What?! Really?”

“Yes! Oh my God… I can't believe we actually  _ talked _ to each other and never even knew! What are the odds… and I didn't even recognize your voice.”

“Well, I didn't recognize you either, so don't feel bad about that. It's been a while since we saw each other.” Keith reassured, and even though his smile was small, Shiro knew it was sincere. 

They still held hands, and didn't even notice. 

They decided to sit together and keep on talking. Shiro discovered that not only did Keith know Matt already, but he was, in fact, the very roommate his friend had suggested for him to meet; not only did Keith work rather close to the  _ Voltron Inc _ building, the apartment he shared with Pidge was not that far away from there either. 

“The thought that all this time we've been so close but so far away from each other… it's amazing, isn't it?” Shiro mused. When Keith turned a bit quiet, he turned to him, somewhat confused by his sudden lack of words. “Keith?”

“It's just... I didn't know how important this was to you. I was sure you'll just pass me by and let it go the very next day. But now… I just feel bad that I didn't do enough to try and find you…”

“No, no, no, please. Keith. I told you. I get it. You were scared and you weren't sure of anything. If I was in your situation, despite my status, chances are I would've done the same.” When Keith finally chuckled again, Shiro relaxed and leaned a bit closer towards the other man. “I don't even know how I have the courage to talk to you so openly.”

“Of, come on.  _ You _ ? Afraid to talk to  _ me _ ? Why?”

The CEO’s gaze moved down to the floor, as his cheeks reddened. How could he tell Keith that he thought he was just so gorgeous, so fascinating, so smart and incredibly funny without turning into a puddle of unintelligible mumbles and shy half-words? Especially now, when Keith's attention was focused entirely on him, with those huge clear purple eyes? 

“I'm just… me. I'm nobody,” Keith continued. Yet before he could continue, Shiro shot his gaze in him again, turning to him and catching his shoulders. 

“Keith. Listen to me,” he said, his voice gentle. “You might think that I'm this big CEO that can get anyone I want. It's not true… because I don't let it be true. Any relationship I had - and I didn't have many… they were all meaningless in the end. But with you… I don't know, even when we met for a short, drunk while one night all this time ago, it just felt so different from anything else I've ever experienced. I felt… a connection. That means that to me, you  _ aren't  _ nobody. You're someone I really want to get to know better… if you'll have me.”

Keith looked at Shiro for a few moments, speechless. No one had ever spoken to him this way before; he could feel his heart pumping loudly in his chest at the emotions that filled it whole. 

“Shiro, I… of course I'll have you. I… I want to get to know you too.”

Their gazes fell to each other's lips, and despite the gravitation between them, that magnetized them towards one another, Shiro bit his lower lip and whispered, “may I…?”

One nod sufficed. Their lips connected, ever so softly, for the very first time. What was at first merely a peck, within moments became a deeper kiss, just to taste. It slowly dissolved, and the two men opened their eyes, that they didn't even notice were closed. 

“Wow…” Shiro murmured. 

“Yeah…” Keith smiled, satisfied. He took Shiro's hands in his, squeezing them lightly. “Let's go back to the others. They must be worried that we're gone for so long.” 

Shiro nodded, not really able to take his eyes off of this beautiful man. 

Keith didn't want to, either. 

 

\--

 

Shiro led his new boyfriend into the VIP karaoke room as the song  _ I Wanna Know What Love Is _ was sung by everyone around the table. Balloons filled with helium stood by the walls and stuck to the ceiling; the table was filled with food; and the lights and speakers Keith put especially in the room before were doing much more than he could have expected. 

The song ended and Matt soon saw the two approaching men. “There you are! We almost sent a team to look for you!” he said, putting his hands on his sides. 

“You're back!” Pidge grinned at her best friend, who half-hugged her in return. “Did you work things out?”

“You can say so,” Shiro said proudly. 

“This is wonderful!” Allura called. “Finally we can have some peace and quiet at work.”

“What! I wasn't  _ that _ bad! I still do my job.”

“Yes, but you were  _ insufferable  _ to be with when you were down. I'm glad you have finally found the man to take that away from you.”

“Thank you, Allura.”

“Oh my God, so you guys are a couple now?!” Hunk intervened. “Awww! Congratulations!”

“You guys I don't want to ruin your gossip, but it's  _ my _ birthday,” Matt joked, rolling his eyes. 

The night only got better and better. Everyone had fun, singing and laughing together. Shiro spent most of his time with Keith on the couch, holding his hand and smiling from ear to ear. He just couldn't  _ believe _ he was so lucky to finally find Keith, let alone get together with him. It just felt like a dream. 

When it was nearly the end of the party, Matt walked over to Shiro and crossed his arms. “Are you gonna sing this time?”

“Uh…” Shiro hesitated, as everybody's eyes were on him. “I don't know, you know I'm not his good this.”

“Not when you're drunk. But you're not drunk now, so you can sing! You know you always gotta listen to the birthday boy.”

Shiro rolled his eyes, yet Keith's smile caught his attention. The two looked at each other for a few seconds, and then Shiro got up. “Fine, fine. I'll do it,” he said, as the others cheered. 

He walked to the karaoke machine and went through the song list. 

He finally found the one, and turned to Keith with a smile. “Do you want to sing with me?”

“What?” Keith laughed.

“Oh no.” Pidge made a face. “Please don't tell me they're going to be one of  _ those _ couples.”

“I think they are. And that's gonna be painful,” Matt told her. 

Shiro seemed to be ignoring them completely, and focused entirely on Keith. “Come on! Just one song. It'll be fun!”

Biting his lip within a smile, Keith finally nodded. “... Alright. But just because it's you.”

“I was counting on that,” his boyfriend smiled. 

The rest of the group sat on the couches and watched the couple sing. They were good, they could give them that - but being one of  _ those _ couples was making them miserable. 

Allura sight to herself and took a drink. “We're going to suffer that for the rest of our lives, are we?”


End file.
